Dirty Vegans Are Doing Just Fine
The Easier Way to Return to a Plant-based Diet
Summer’s nearly here, bringing sweet cherries, juicy strawberries, crisp watermelon, fragrant peaches, and some of the freshest veggies of the year. If you’ve ever considered going vegan, now’s the perfect time to give it a go. And if you plan to put a slice of tomato on a veggie burger topped with an American-style slice with a side of veggie chips, you’re still doing great.
Will you lose weight? Maybe. There are certainly nutritional advantages to getting more fiber and vitamins. Will you help save the planet? Absolutely! A 2018 study by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek, Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts Through Producers and Consumers, found that “the impacts of the lowest-impact animal products exceed average impacts of substitute vegetable proteins across [greenhouse gas] emissions, eutrophication, [ocean] acidification (excluding nuts), and frequently land use.” When eutrophication (an excess of nutrients in a body of water) doesn’t have a natural cause, it’s commonly caused by nitrogen run-off. The end result is a massive algae bloom that starves the existing ecosystem of oxygen. I recently came back to veganism after some years away to harness the lifestyle’s anti-inflammatory properties. I’d pushed off starting for weeks, though. I just don’t have the time I once did to prepare vegan food. If you’re curious about a vegan diet, whatever your reasons, but are intimidated by the vegan diet plans online, learn from my mistake and make it work for you.
I finally dove in, buttressed by the discovery of a vegan frozen meal delivery service, a box of cheezy mac in the cupboard, and a freezer full of chk’n nuggies. As I took my time in the grocery store aisles the night before my return to veganism, I started to remember that vegan food is just food. Looking at the strawberries in my cart next to the field greens, I pictured a decadent salad with sliced berries, caramelized pecans, and light balsamic dressing. I picked up crunchy peanut butter, fruit spread (pectin is vegan), and fresh bread for lunch.
Aren’t nuts just as bad for the environment as meat? Why was Chidi so scared he was sent to hell for drinking almond milk on The Good Place? It’s somewhat complicated, and they’re not all the same. For example, peanuts take only 6% of the water needed to grow almonds (all tree nuts are water-intensive crops). Not all nuts are perfect, they just illustrate climate change and water supply problems more easily than meat, which takes far more water to get to market per ounce. Nuts are a great source of protein and help make the transition from dairy easier for many folks. Still, we’re fortunate to live at a time when there’s a lot of investment into nut milk alternatives, like oat milk (i.e. Oatly’s stock market debut yesterday and $12 billion valuation, making it more than just a passing trend).
I know what you’re thinking…but Arden, what about the snacks? For me, a new lifestyle was a reason to buy the healthier food I enjoyed but I’d forgotten about- edamame, half sour pickles, olives, black bean soup, cinnamon apple chips, granola bars, Cheerios…and the dirty vegan sour cream, chocolate almond pudding, and ice cream sandwiches I hadn’t. And yes, I’ll find my way to making beans and rice, cheezy popcorn with nutritional yeast, and chickpea tuna with celery again. I’m happy with baby steps now. You can be, too.
